Modern Blues (album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
American Songwriter	[8]
Drowned in Sound	[9]
The Guardian	[10]
The Irish Times	[11]
Mojo	[12]
Q	[12]
Record Collector	[13]
The Telegraph	[14]

Upon release, Neil McCormick of The Telegraph commented: "Modern Blues is a rich, aromatic stew of classic rock and beat poetics, with Scott on a quasi-mystical quest to comprehend his own muse and every band member playing out of their skins."[14] Mojo considered the album to be the best Waterboys release since Fisherman's Blues.[12] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter described Modern Blues as a "rock and roll album" and added: "It's the raw, rocking that keeps you locked on songs that never let their grasp weaken. Scott sounds completely rejuvenated here, [making] Modern Blues one of his most compelling releases."[8]

Paul Mardles of The Guardian felt the album's material contained a blend of "southern soul [and] fiery blues", but "with mixed results". He stated: "The best tracks are a testament to Scott's storytelling skills. But the singer is still a fan and his songs try too hard to mimic the swagger of the artists Modern Blues namechecks."[10] Tony Clayton-Lea of The Irish Times highlighted songs such as "I Can See Elvis", "November Tale" and "Beautiful Now", but felt that "matters get slightly messy with the longer songs".[11]

Ian Abrahams of Record Collector concluded: "...while Modern Blues is far from disagreeable musically, the words will have long-time followers speculating where Scott's at."[13] Dan Lucas of Drowned in Sound felt the album was "pedestrian" and concentrated on "chugging power chords and cheesy guitar riffs". He wrote: "...it's inconceivable that anyone who loves the nuances and the emotional connections forged by the likes of Fisherman's Blues or This Is the Sea could find the same pleasure in something so vapid as Modern Blues."[9]